Spurs pick up options on Leonard, Joseph; waive Powell

The Spurs on Friday exercised their team option on the third seasons of the contracts for Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph, protecting the rights to their two youngest players through the 2013-14 season.

“It feels good,” said Leonard, the 15th pick in the 2011 draft who came to the Spurs in a draft night deal that sent George Hill to the Indiana Pacers. “I know I’ve got another year under my belt for sure. I get to come back my third year and play basketball for the Spurs. I’m happy in San Antonio and happy I don’t have to worry about trying to find another team to play for.”

The 29th overall pick of the 2011 draft, Joseph played in only 29 games last season, then spent the summer working on his game with Spurs coaches and earning Las Vegas Summer League All-Star status.

“I know I’ve got to keep working and learning, but for sure this move makes all that hard work I put in this summer worth it,” Joseph said.

“I feel like I’m just going to keep on getting better and I feel like they think I’m going to keep on getting better, too.”

Powell waived: Veteran big man Josh Powell survived a spirited competition among the players who came to training camp with make-good contracts but was waived not long after playing the final 4 minutes, 40 seconds of Friday’s game.

In six preseason games, Powell averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in an average of 13.7 minutes.

Before the game, the Spurs waived Wesley Witherspoon and JaMychal Green.

Respect for Stern: Hour upon hour spent arguing last summer with David Stern left Spurs forward Matt Bonner with a lasting, though grudging, respect for NBA commissioner David Stern.

Stern on Thursday announced his plan to retire Feb. 1, 2014. The announcement brought memories flooding back for Bonner, a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association who served during last year’s NBA collective bargaining talks as a member of the union’s negotiating committee.

Bonner recalled one session during which he thought Stern was daydreaming.

“He didn’t say a single word until the very end,” Bonner said, “and then like hammered you, 20 points in a row. I felt like I was in a movie. Just let everybody have it, what reality really is — at least in his mind. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that was a really smart tactic.’

“I have tremendous respect for him,” he said. “Even though I was on the other side of things last year, I tried to learn as much as I could from him and take advantage of the opportunity.”